An Encyclopedia of Horticulture. 



97 



Apple — continued. 



FORDSHIRE FOUNDLING, BRABANT BELLEFLEUR, CALVILLE 



Blanche, Cellini, Cox's Pomona, D. T. Fish, Duchess of 

 Oldenburgh, Dumelow's Seedling, .Tolly Beggar, Keswick 

 CODLiN, Lord Suffield, JIanx's Codlin, New Hawthorn- 

 den, Nonsuch, Waltiiam Abbey Seedling, Warner's King. 

 For Cold and Exposed Situations, the fnllowin!; are thebest : 

 —Bess Pool, Claygate Vearmain, Fuencm Crah, Ureenup's 

 I'ippiN, Keswick Codlin, Nonsuch, Sturher Pippin, 

 Tower of Glajhiis, Winter Strawberry, Wormsley Pippin. 



For Cottage Gardens: Alexander, Bedfordshire Found- 

 ling, Blenheim Pippin, King of the Pippins, Manx's Cod- 

 lin, New Hawthorndex, Eeinette du Canada, Bibston 

 Pippin, Sturmer Pippin, Waltham Abbey Seedling, Warner's 

 King, Wormsley Pippi.n. 



AFFIiE BERRT. See Billardiera. 



AFFI.E-BLOSSOM WEEVIL (Anthonomiis to- 

 tnonim). This is a small beetle of a reddisli-brown coloivp, 

 with three inconspicuous stripes of a paler colour behind 

 the head ; the wing cases show a large pitchy-coloured 

 blotch, with oblique striaj and yellowish spots thereon. 

 The female busily engages herself in piercing the flower 

 buds ; while tlie male may be usually seen flying about the 

 trees during the breeding season, which, of course, varies 

 according to the earlier or later expansion of the buds. 

 The female, by means of strong jaws at the end of the long 

 proboscis, bores a hole in the bud, in which she lays a 

 single egg, finally closing the opening, tlien passing on 

 to other buds. The laying season lasts for two or three 

 weeks, or, indeed, as long as the buds remain unexpanded ; 

 eggs are never laid in open blossoms. In warm weather, 

 the eggs are hatched in six or seven days, usually about 

 the end of April, into small, white, legless maggots, which 

 feed upon the stamens and pistil ; hence, although the 

 petals are normally coloured, and expand, the flowers 

 ultimately witlier, and in some seasons very serious con- 

 sequences have arisen from these injurious little pests. 

 The maggot is fleshy, whitish, with a few hairs and a 

 black, hard head ; in a few days, it tui'us into a brown 

 chrysalis or pupa, which, in turn, is changed into the 

 Weevil, only about a month having elapsed from the 

 deposition of the egg till the Weevil is developed. It 

 feeds upon the foliage during summer, and hybernates in 

 crannies of the bark, or under the soil at the base of 

 the trees, during winter, waking up in the following spring 

 to go through the same performances as its parents. 



Remedies. Some of the methods advised for the ex- 

 tirpation of the American Blight will prove very useful for 

 the destruction of this pest. Clear away all useless por- 

 tions of the bark and rubbish round about the tree during 

 the winter, and many will be destroyed. Place bandages 

 of tarred cloth around the stem in spring ; this will 

 prevent the females crawling up, as they seldom fly. If 

 a white cloth is placed beneath the tree affected when 

 in bud, and the tree is severely shaken, a large number 

 will be caught, as the Weevil falls to the ground when 

 alarmed. Timely thinning of the trees, allowing the free 

 admission of light and air, is also a very effectual pre- 

 ventive, as it has been proved that the greatest ravages 

 are committed where neglect of this has been the rule ; 

 and that, on the other hand, in proportion to its being 

 done, the pest has been lessened in numbers. 



AFFIiE M'DSSEL SCALE (Aspidiotus conchi- 

 fortnis). This insect attacks the bark of Apple and Pear- 

 trees. It is in outward appearance like the half of a 

 mussel shell. Under the scale is the insect. It is 

 closely allied to the true scale insects, and has similar 

 habits. The scales are about ^in. long, brown, and wider 

 at one end than at the other. The female is like a fat, 

 green, fleshy maggot, without jointed limbs. The eggs 

 of this curious insect are not laid, but simply remain 

 in the body of the mother until she dies, thus leaving 

 a protecting shield or case from which the hatched 

 larvae emerge. To get rid of this insect, therefore, the 

 females containing eggs should be destroyed. It differs 

 from most other species in the absence of the long tail 



Apple Mussel Scale— continued. 

 filaments. If numerous, this Scale causes the trees to 

 become sickly and unfruitful. It is difficult to extirpate. 



Soft-soap Lather. When the leaves fall, in autumn, 

 the trees shoiUd be treated with a stiff sash-tool, and all 

 the Scale rubbed off, keeping the brush just moist, and 

 not rubbing the buds. Applied for two seasons, this 

 should clear the trees. All loose bark should be removed. 



Seal Oil is sometimes recommended as a good remedy : 

 but oils are rather unsafe applications to the bark of 

 trees, especially of the young branches. 



AFFLE OR CODLIN GRUB (Cavpocapsa pomo- 

 nana). During the month of May, the well-known Codlin 

 Moth (see Pig. 127) lays its eggs in tlie calyces, usually 



Fig. 127. Codlin Moth and Grub (Carpocapsa pomonana). 



one in each, of the young, quickly-growing apple. The 

 moth itself is a small insect ; the fore-wings are grey, 

 prettily speckled with delicate, darker streaks, and with 

 a curved golden mark on the hinder part, inclosing one 

 of a reddish-brown colour. The hind wings are usually 

 dark, as is also the body. The caterpillar, when 

 hatched, is white, with black head and neck, and with 

 four rows of black marks along the wliole boily. The 

 colours soon, however, become less decided, taking an 

 indistinct brownish or grey hue. After being hatched, the 

 caterpillar gnaws its way down the fruit, keeping clear of 

 the core, and gradually forces its gallery towards the rind 

 of the fruit, which it finally pierces, the opening serving as 

 the outlet for the dirt. When nearly fuU grown, it pierces 

 the core and feeds upon the pips, which injury speedily 

 causes the fruit to drop. The insect then emerges there- 

 from, and finds a suitable shelter in a cranny of the bark, 

 where it spins a cocoon ; and, according to British authori- 

 ties, it remains in the larval state for some weeks, finally 

 assuming the chrysalis form, and thus passing the winter ; 

 the moth emerges the following season. Shortly after 

 development, the moths pair, the female depositing egga 

 in the fruit in June or July, according to the season. 



Practically, there is no preventive ; but the following 

 hints will servo to greatly reduce the numbers. AH 

 apples that fall ere they are ripe should be picked up 

 as promptly as possible, and be given to the pigs ; or 

 pigs should be turned into the orchard to clear off the 

 fallen fruit. The following is the only serviceable remedy : 



Hayband Trap. This is simply a loosely made hayband 

 twisted around the stems of the trees, about 1ft. from 

 the ground. The grubs, in searching for a suitable place 

 in which to make a cocoon, will generally choose the bands. 

 At the end of the season, all the haybands should be col- 

 lected and burnt, and the stems of the trees from which 

 they were removed should bo cleared of any cocoons which 

 may adhere to them. All loose bark and other rubbish 

 should be removed from the tree trunks, and also from 

 the ground below. 



AFFLE OR CODLIN GRUB TRAF. An ex- 



oecdingly ingenious and effective method of alluring that 







